


Death of a Bachelor

by fallingbridges (nineawesomelane)



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Spoilers for Brotherhood of Steel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-30
Updated: 2016-03-30
Packaged: 2018-05-30 01:09:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6401776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nineawesomelane/pseuds/fallingbridges
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Deacon knows he should die long before he does. Doesn't make it any easier.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Death of a Bachelor

“I think that life would suddenly seem wonderful to us if we were threatened to die as you say. Just think of how many projects, travels, love affairs, studies, it–our life–hides from us.” 

\\\

When the first gunshot goes off, nobody in the den notices but Drummer Boy. He pushes himself off the wall, glancing around to see if the shooter was as close as they seemed. For a second he wonders if they are going to be trapped, but Deacon stretches and calls out over his book before he has a chance to check. 

“Drummer, relax, it’s just raiders.” The lie comes out like clockwork, one he almost convinces himself of. But those footsteps are too heavy for traditional raider armor, and the ghouls haven’t starting complaining yet. Tossing his book to the side, he meets eyes with Desdemona briefly. 

She gives a nod to Glory and the three stand. Giving a sigh, their leader takes one last drag from her cigarette and snuffs it out. With very little real effort, Glory picks up her minigun and starts after the passing woman. Deacon almost follows to assume his normal role of staying to the side. 

“Deacon, stay here. We might have another recruit and I don’t want you scaring them if it’s someone you’ve been following.” She doesn’t mean to sound so unsure, but it slips before she can reign in her tough facade. A subtle nod is all she needs before heading to the door.

He refuses to sit, at first just pacing. Desdemona calls back every few minutes to prove their still alive and well, for those far more paranoid then the agents reclining. It goes silent for nearly ten minutes before Desdemona comes back in, walking backwards as gunshots start ringing in the narrow hallways. A mingun starts firing, echoing back down the halls with surprising volume. 

In the second before someone in blood stained power armor with the gear filled symbol busts in, Deacon simply yells, “Follow me!” And starts toward the back door. 

There isn’t enough time to get everyone out. Even as he ducks into the gaping hole they call a doorway, half a dozen agents lay in a trail to it. More agents try to fight back then not and he’s suddenly glad the next route has so many traps. They might get some people out. Just as he starts guiding people, Drummer brings in the rear with some of the wounded. When he steps forward, a grenade goes off nearby and the force knocks Deacon’s sunglasses off. 

 

And for a moment, the spy steps forward to grab them. 

 

That second is the slowest in his life. Drummer opens his mouth to shout something when blood starts to trickle down his face. With a second gunshot, he slumps to the floor, falling forward in front of Deacon, falling onto what kept him hidden from the world. 

But he doesn’t have time to mourn just yet. He traces back the shot to a familiar face, Sole, holding a rifle close to their chest in mild disbelief. He wonders if it’s the killing, that it as Drummer Boy. Then they line up the shot to his forehead and it clicks that he was the target. Moving out of the way, going for something he had no right to wear, got the youngest member killed. Gritting his teeth, he dodges the next shot despite a low set belief that he should let it hit him. 

Luckily, the others managed to pick their way through the traps, cold and hurting but alive. No soldier dares to follow them, still Deacon could swear he saw the distinctive armor of his former friend in the doorway. 

//

It’s nearly a week before Deacon gets any worthwhile news from the tourists. Most are scattered without messengers and other agents to arrange meetings. For the last time, the left overs point to him for leadership and help. Hiding behind new sunglasses, simply giving a smile, he side steps leadership with. guilt on his mind. Yet still with the Railroad in ruins, he has to run, not mourn the lost.

Des and Glory didn't make it out ( _ like they should have _ ). It hurts to know he doesn't care whether Doc Carrington made it out or not but that death is on him. All of their deaths are on him. He shouldn't have let them leave, or at least he should have gone with them. 

A tourist brings news that the Brotherhood is still looking for him. So, to do the honorable thing, he tries to fix it. Everything, before he has to walk away ( _ and die _ ). Those people, the poor and cold and hungry agents who dedicated their life to this cause, needed his help. And he wouldn't let them down.

The next week and a half is a blur. Drinking and doing runs, Deacon throws himself into his work before the day comes where he knows he won't make it through. Using a premade bag with his favorite shotgun and pistol combo, he leaves without a trace. As far as the world is concerned, John Deacon doesn't exist or won't shortly. ( _ Neither of these make him feel better _ .)

Ten miles hardly seems far enough away, but it's when his legs give out. Lack of water, knowing death is coming, pure putting up with the bullshit in the world, who knows. Deacon only knows two things now: everyone is dead and the Railroad will survive. Perhaps it was inevitable that with the next generation he would leave.  _ (Not like this, not like this..)  _ He wonders if Sole really believes in what they're doing. Nothing like crying and being near death to do some quality introspection.

He decides is that he'll go out fighting. Going out ( _ executed _ ) like this would be disrespectful to Des and Glory. He'll probably ( _ hopefully _ ) lose, but he would kill Sole otherwise. In his final moments, guilt would finally collapse him. He would finally atone for his sins. In it’s own twisted way, it’s almost poetic. He’ll get what he deserves. 

The first time he notices Sole, it’s nearly a day later. Standing despite pain, he pulls out a shotgun and waits. They certainly take their time, not noticing him at all while fighting off some mirelurks. Each shot makes him flinch, thinking about running the other direction and hiding. Cowards do what cowards will do. 

He doesn’t move until Sole approaches, rifle hanging loose in one of their power armor covered hands, helmet in the other. For a while, the pair just stands there, watching each other in the shit filled wasteland. ( _ My home but not yours... _ ) It’s surreal, seeing someone he thought was a friend, who murdered the very people that helped them, letting this moment of silence fall.

Deacon moves first, shooting towards Sole’s head in a last ditch attempt at avenging his friends. He misses. 

Giving a sigh ( _ is it of regret or contempt? he’ll never know, _ ) Sole lines up their shot at his hand. It graves over his forearm, but it’s enough to make him drop the shotgun. They stalk over, pushing him down to the ground so hard it makes his knees hurt on impact. 

“For your injustices to the Commonwealth, the Brotherhood of Steel sentences you..” There’s a pause where they should have said his name, vaguely he wonders why ( _ because you used to trust them _ ). “To death.” 

It’s his last breathe and it smells like the Commonwealth. The stench of rotting corpses, metal fresh out of the forge, but most of at it smells like fire and like  _ home.  _ A home he’ll never see again, one he won’t rebuild, one where a single person could ruin hundreds, thousands of hours of hard work in merely a month. 

When the gunshot rings, it’s the echo he hears as he slumps to the ground. Suddenly, he knows the Railroad is done for. 

 

_ He was a man, take him for all in all. _

_ I shall not look upon his like again. _

 


End file.
